Send us a textAs world leaders cross the planet to attend the APEC meeting in Peru, the G20 Summit in Rio and COP29 in Aerbaijan, the voice of the global south has never been more vital. At all of these gatherings, developing nations are fighting to get their voices heard, and pushing to create new forms of global governance that can change the way the world is run. We’ve heard a lot of talk in the past weeks, but what does the rise of the global south really look like in practice?Joini...

Send us a textThe votes have been counted and Donald Trump has been returned to the White House for a second term. Voters in the US said the key issue for them was the economy – and whether they felt better off after four years of President Biden. But what does Trump’s re-election mean for the rest of the world? For relations with China, the EU and the rising global south? And for the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East?Joining Juliet Mann on this edition of The Agenda to look at th...

Send us a textWorld leaders, CEOs and Climate experts are now heading to Baku for the annual United Nations Climate Change conference - COP29. Against a backdrop of increasingly depressing news that warming gases are still accumulating faster than at any time in human history, the plan in Azerbaijan is to consider what now needs to happen next, and who will foot the bill to save the planet. Many think the gap between the global north and south, particularly over climate finan...

Send us a textChina's President Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi wwere among the world leaders to join Vladimir Putin in Kazan recently for the 2024 BRICS summit. It's the first such gathering since the group added new members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. And, if this week's discussions are anything to go by, BRICS is only set to get bigger - with countries from across the global south pushing to join up. So what does all this really mean...

Send us a textTrade tensions between China and Europe have been in the spotlight this week as the Prime Ministers of both Spain and Norway headed to China. Both Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre held high level meetings, including with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.So what does this tell us about the relations between China and Europe, especially with regard to the possibility of a looming trade war over electric vehicles? In this episode of The Agenda, Juli...

Esports – or competitive gaming – is the latest member of the Olympic family. Following the first ever World Cup of esports – taking place right now in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this time next year the inaugural Esports Olympics will take place in the same city.Esports is already worth $2.4bn annually, and it’s predicted to grow by 20% a year. So what is behind that growth? How does it all work? And what do you need to do to become a world-class competitive gamer?In this edition of The Agenda, Ju...

Travel and tourism was of course one of the sectors devastated by Covid – with figures only now returning to pre-pandemic levels. But the return to normal has not been without its challenges, with protests across Europe as locals complain about overtourism placing an unnecessary burden on local services and pricing them out of their own homes. So has the way we travel going to change forever? To find out, on this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Natalia Bayona, Exe...

For nearly two weeks, the UK witnessed the most violent social unrest in more than a decade. Triggered it seems by the far-right’s reaction to the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class in the town of Southport, the violence spread to almost thirty towns and cities, with shops looted, hundreds arrested and hotels housing immigrants and mosques attacked.So what does this really say about the state of the UK, a matter of weeks into Keir Starmer’s premiership? And what r...

The Farnborough International Air Show is one of the world’s largest. Hundreds of thousands of people descend for the week to examine the very latest technology the aviation industry has to offer.But this year, things were a little different, with much of the talk focused on supply chain issues and the ongoing woes of industry titan Boeing – which made a big statement by deciding not to take part in any aerial displays at this years event.To take the true temperature of the sector, on this ed...

Reform resolution was the key message from the recent Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. More than 300 reform measures were announced, from deepening reform itself to expanding opening up, promoting high quality innovation at home to making China a first-class business environment for foreign investors.The Third Plenum set out an expansive and inclusive plan for the future. It is, as Han Wenxiu, Executive Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Financial...

No sooner has the the Euros Football finished in Germany, than in just a few days the Paris Olympics will begin with the largest opening ceremony in history. So with thousands of athletes and millions of spectators spending the summer in Europe - and alongside promises from both events they’ll be the most sustainable ever, this week on The Agenda, Juliet Mann looks at just how green global sport really is.She’s joined by Marie Sallois, Corporate and Sustainable Development Director...

It wasn't the swing to the far right many had expected, but President Emmanuel Macron's decision to call a snap election in the wake of the European poll in June doesn't appear to have done his centrist Ensemble group much good. Unexpectedly it was the left leaning New Popular Front that took the most seats - but not enough for an outright majority. So what does this mean for the future of France - both at home and on the global stage?In this edition of the Agenda, Juliet Mann looks at h...

China's Chang'e 6 is now back on terra firma with the first ever rock samples taken from the dark side of the moon. As well as Chinese technology, the mission involved cooperation with scientists from France, Sweden, Italy and the European Space Agency. So what does this mean for future lunar missions, and further international cooperation in space?To find out, in this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Andrew Coates, Professor of Physics in the Department of Space and Climate Physi...

The world’s population may have recently topped 8 billion for the first time, but where the worries were once about the world becoming too crowded, now the concern is about a drop in global fertility rates. There are very real fears that a shrinking, ageing population could be catastrophic for the global economy and its healthcare systems. But some experts argue that there might in fact be an upside to population decline – especially when it comes to the earth’s natural resources.In this...

As the pollsters had predicted, far-right groups made big gains in last weekend's EU parliamentary elections. In France, Germany, Austria and Belgium to name just a few, there was a large swing to the right - even leading French President Emmanuel Macron to call a surprise snap election. But with the centre-right European People's Party group still the largest in Parliament, what impact will all this really have on the future of Europe?To consider the results, on this edition of The Agen...

In just a few weeks’ time, the torch will be lit in Paris to begin the 33rd Olympic summer games. It’s promising to be the largest and most sustainable games ever, with around 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees expected to compete. But against a backdrop of global conflict, and huge arguments in sport over issues like prize money and transgender athletes, what will Paris 2024 say about the state of the Olympic movement? To find out, in this edition of The Agenda, J...

On June the 6th the first polling stations will open in The Netherlands to begin one of the largest elections in the world. Nearly 400 million people across 27 countries will get the chance to decide who will sit in the 720 seats in the European parliament.So with concerns mounting over the conflict in Ukraine, the future of trade, the green transition and the rise of the far right - just what might Europe look like after the vote? And what might it all mean for European relations with the re...

Nearly 300 million people from across the globe are currently facing severe food insecurity. And according to the latest report from the United Nations, that figure is set to rise sharply unless immediate action is taken. Conflict in places like Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, as well as the rising impact of climate change has left the world facing a devastating struggle to feed its population. On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann examines what can be done to address the looming catastrop...

China’s President Xi Jinping is now back in Beijing following his first trip to Europe in five years.Stopping is France, Serbia and Hungary, the talk was of increased trade ties and new investment deals, and how China can work with European nations to improve peace and stability across the globe. On this edition of The Agenda. Juliet Mann examines what the long term impact of the visit will be, for the three individual nations, and for the wider world. She speaks to Former Fre...

With less than three months to go until the 2024 Paris Olympic Games the International Olympic Committee has unveiled its "AI Agenda". As with so many other sectors, AI is set to revolutionise sport - from training to judging, identifying new talent to cutting the cost of hosting global events.In this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann visits the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, home of the 2012 London Games, for the IOC launch and speaks to President of the IOC Thomas Bach, the committee'...

With China's commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Europe and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Beijing this week – accusations of overcapacity in the EV market have been top of the agenda around the world – accusations China has strongly denied.    So with the need for more electric powered cars only growing as the world seeks to hit tough net zero targets, where is the sector really headed? In this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Tu Le, Founder and Managing Director of Sino Auto...

Last week, the first ever Nuclear Energy Summit took place in Brussels. Leaders and experts from around the world – including China’s Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing -  gathered to discuss the competitiveness, usability, and sustainability of nuclear power in the race to net zero.  So in this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann investigates just what role nuclear has in the world’s energy future, and whether there’s any real chance the world can reach its climate targets without it. She speaks to...

Poverty alleviation and climate change are two of the biggest, if not THE two biggest challenges facing the world today. Both require huge amounts of international cooperation, and of course money, to solve. But is the world getting the balance of funding right? On this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to an expert who thinks not - Bjorn Lomborg, President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and best-selling author of The Skeptical Environmentalist. He thinks that what he calls the...

Later this year, Azerbaijan will host the UN's COP29 climate summit. It's one of the top ten most fossil fuel dependent countries in the world - but that's all set to change as Azerbaijan looks to transition to a greener future.    It's one of the many issues Juliet Mann discussed in an exclusive interview with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikaiyil Jabbarov. They also talk about future partnerships with China and the EU and the country’s transition to a digital future.  Juliet also looks...